This year, Trinity School students, staff and alumni came together to mark Remembrance Day with a special assembly and a poignant rededication of our war memorial, following the discovery of 35 previously unrecorded names of former students and teachers who lost their lives during the two World Wars.
The day began with a whole-school Remembrance assembly, opened by Headmaster Mr Kennedy, who encouraged students to reflect on the sacrifices made by previous generations of the Trinity community.
Mr Hutchings, Head of History and Politics, explored the origins of Remembrance Day and the significance of the two-minute silence, describing it as “a silence broad enough to contain the disagreement” surrounding war, its consequences and its meaning.
Sixth Form students Olivia V and Olivia B also delivered thoughtful reflections, exploring the significance of war memorials and the different ways nations remember those who have died in conflict.
Olivia V reflected on the importance of memorials to bereaved families, explaining that “for many families, the local memorial became the nearest thing they could ever have to a grave that they could visit.”
Olivia B encouraged the audience to consider how remembrance is shaped by history and national experience, concluding that we should “remember those who died but also remember the world they died in.”
Following the assembly and a moving performance of the Last Post by Upper Sixth trumpeter Gabriel, students, staff and visitors observed the two-minute silence.
The Headmaster, Head Boy, Head Girl and representatives of the alumni community then gathered at the memorial for a special service of rededication, conducted by the Revd Younis Francis, Honorary Canon of Southwark Cathedral and Rector of St John the Divine Church, Selsdon.
Wreaths were laid, a minute’s silence observed and the restored memorial blessed. Surrounding the memorial were metal poppies, planted each year by our Alumni and Development team in memory of those who lost their lives.
The memorial, situated in the school grounds at Shirley Park, has undergone significant restoration following painstaking research by two alumni historians, Mark Gardiner and Neil Mackenzie. Their work uncovered 24 additional names from the First World War and 11 from the Second World War, prompting the installation of an additional granite stone and newly cast bronze plaques.
The memorial now commemorates 270 former students and teachers who lost their lives during the two World Wars.
The restoration itself was another example of the enduring connections within the Trinity community. The work was carried out by PAYE Stoneworks Ltd, led by Trinity alumnus Matt Kember and his brother Rob, with the bronze plaques produced by Anglia Castings.
The rededication also marked the conclusion of Trinity’s 60th anniversary celebrations at Shirley Park, bringing together past and present members of our community in a shared moment of remembrance.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this important occasion.
We will remember them.
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Many thanks to Picture Partnership for the images.
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